Amherst protests anti-abortion bigot

AMHERST, Mass.--Students at the University of Massachusetts (UMass) at Amherst organized to show that bigots and sexists are not welcome as speakers on campus.

On April 30, the UMass Republican Club sponsored a talk by Dr. Mike Adams titled "I Had an Abortion: The Hypocrisy of Roe v. Wade." Adams is a conservative Christian columnist who opposes abortion rights and gay marriage. A biography proudly describes him as "a vocal critic of the diversity movement in academia."

Although the Republican Club billed the event as "an opportunity to engage in dialogue over Roe v. Wade and abortion in the United States," the aim of the talk was to promote right-wing lies about abortion.

A group of students, including members of the International Socialist Organization, attended the event to make sure their opposition to Adams' right-wing lies was heard. As a result, roughly half of the audience in attendance was there to actively demonstrate their disdain for this self-styled conservative "intellectual."

Two students who voiced their objections during Adams' speech were forcibly removed from the premises by police officers at Adams' request--even as he sanctimoniously and insincerely lectured the audience about the right of free speech. Adams also cut the question-and-answer session short, after evading questions from pro-choice students and disregarding the issues they raised.

The event closed with students shouting for "Free abortion on demand!"--and Adams silent on the issues at hand.